That is not to say the book is bad. It isn't bad at all. I'd even say it is one of the best, but it doesn't give the spiritual context that other books about war does. When the Jews properly submit and humble themselves before God, God wins the battle for them. This is the same even in "Machabees I;" it just isn't explained as well. It focuses more on the war itself, telling of the battles in marvelous detail. You can gather the spiritual context from it if you are more familiar with the earlier war books.
Names of characters are often difficult to figure out. Everyone seems to like naming their son after themselves, causing the translation to not always be clear. It's always weird to have a character die and then immediately hear that same person doing something else (because it was really the man's son.) I've had that problem more than once with the Catholic Bible. It's not really a complaint as much as a little gripe.
One thing that I did love about the book was how absolutely hardcore the historical account was. When one nation wrote a letter to another, the book would simply show you the letter. It did this multiple times, making things very clear as to what was happening. This attention to detail was highly welcome.
They also went into a very enlightening description of Rome at the time. It almost made me want to visit them. As stated, the book did a great job at clarification, despite having some naming hiccups here and there.
Although I do like "Machabees I," and the battles were fairly exciting, I do see it as more of a simple history lesson and nothing more. It doesn't properly explain man's relationship to God, which was a big deal when it came to the Old Testament. If someone who knew nothing about God read this book first, they might not even notice why anybody would win or lose these battles. And for the latter reason, I don't really recommend the book without first going over the rest of the Old Testament. It'll just make more sense if you read it last. Not my cup of tea, but I don't regret reading it at all.
This blog was written on May 11, 2022.
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It is one of my favorite books, but not because it is spiritually enlightening. It is worldly, though God is properly praised. It is one of the most engrossing historical texts I've ever written. The war is fascinating both on the battle field and behind the scenes. It is like the movie RED DAWN (1984) in its pacing and intensity.
ReplyDeleteGod has more of a place in the later ones than the first one. The first one is just more of a record of events rather than really placing it in context to spiritual matters. I still liked it though.
DeleteI suppose history lessons have their place. At least the battles were exciting, which is to the credit of the author.
ReplyDeleteHistory lessons are still important. The book is worth the trouble to learn it.
DeleteBattles are more exciting when you understand the context. Otherwise, they are merely bloody and brutal affairs. It is important to know what what the fighting was for.
ReplyDeleteYeah that's all I ask for.
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